by Camryn Eyde
“Oh, well, Brittany is sobbing and Tiffany is doing her nails.”
“Sobbing?”
“She’s been let go,” Sally said as she handed Amber a tray. “Put the chicken on this, then in the oven for forty-five minutes at one-eighty.”
Amber’s jaw dropped. “Ah…say that again.”
“Here, I’ll show you,” Aimee said, picking up the tray and putting it in the over. “Timer,” she said, pointing to a dial which she then turned to forty. “Temperature.” Adjusting the second knob to the correct setting, she stood and smiled at Amber. “Voila.”
“Oh, you speak French?”
“Yeah…nuh.” Aimee laughed. “I speak fluent sheep, though.”
Generating the response she was aiming for, Amber laughed in a dainty fashion and touched Aimee’s forearm. Seeing Justine stride across the kitchen, she gave Amber a wave before she was predictably hauled off somewhere private under the guise of working out where to set up next week’s dates.
“What the hell!” Justine snapped when they reached the study.
“Good question. What’s with the weirdness in the kitchen? And, by the way, jealousy doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not jealous!”
“Says the woman who just dragged me from the kitchen when Amber touched my arm.”
“Oh, please. You were fawning all over her. I’m surprised she didn’t faint with the amount of attention you put on her.”
“Attention? I asked her about the chicken and showed her the oven.”
“Exactly!”
Aimee threw her hands up in the air and paced the office. “You’re nuts.”
“Sally told us all about you.”
Aimee’s hands dropped. “Oh, did she just. Tell me, what did she say?”
“For starters, she said you hit on women possessing certain qualities.”
“Qualities?”
“Pretty girls with big…big…” Justine held her hands out before dropping them with disgust.
“Okay. What else did she say?”
“You like conquests.”
Aimee blinked rapidly. She liked what now? “Conquests?”
“Apparently no single woman within two hundred square kilometres is safe from you.”
“What?” Aimee raised her eyebrows. What the hell was Sally playing at?
Justine began to pace around in circles, her movements erratic and arms flailing. “Is that what I am? A conquest? An eligible woman you wanted to bed? A challenge to get you off?”
“Ah…no?” Aimee cocked her head, recalling the way Sally was chuckling and smiling in the kitchen. Her eyes widened in understanding. The bitch!
“Sally was telling us how you were sizing up the contestants the moment they got here and apparently thought Amber’s assets were worth checking out.”
Smiling, Aimee said, “They are.” Aimee cupped her hands at her chest. “She’s—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.”
Aimee began to chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Justine, come on. Sally is baiting you.”
“To achieve what? I thought this was real!”
Aimee snagged the woman’s arms before they struck her and pulled her close. “It is. Very real.”
Justine breathed heavily in her arms.
“Sally did a number on you.”
“She what?”
“She promised me she was going to find out what was going on between us this morning after I refused to tell her. She stirred you up deliberately.”
Justine frowned and let that sink in. “So…the women she told us about?”
Aimee sighed. “Yes, I’ve tried to hit on women with that cocktail you hate. No, I don’t do it with every eligible female I come across, and no, I’m not into conquests. Before you, the relationships I had were brief, meaningless and easy. They got what they wanted, and so did I.” Aimee cupped Justine’s face. “I haven’t been with anyone longer than a night. Ever.”
“Really?”
Aimee nodded and rested her forehead on Justine’s. “Which is why you scare the shit out of me.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m equally as terrified.”
Closing their eyes and breathing each other’s air for a long moment, their peace was interrupted by Sally’s sigh. “I knew it.”
Jerking back, Aimee glared at her sister. Dawn was right beside her. “Knew what?”
“This. You two.” She gestured between them. “It’s more than just sex.”
“Oh, my God,” Justine said, blushing and hiding her face against Aimee’s chest.
Aimee clenched her jaw. “It’s also none of your God damn business.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Sally waved her off. “It’s about time,” she said, leaving the office and high-fiving Dawn.
“Do you have siblings?” Aimee asked Justine after they finished staring at the doorway.
“No.”
“Lucky.”
“Seems that way.”
Aimee took a deep breath. “So are we okay?”
Justine nodded and rested her forehead on Aimee’s chest. “I’m sorry for acting like a lunatic.”
“It was rather cute.”
“Cute?”
“Yeah, you looked all crazy and frazzled.” Aimee gave her a crooked smile. “Cute.”
Justine shook her head. “You have a skewed perception. I’m sure I looked like I needed institutionalising.”
“Maybe a little.” Smiling at each other, Aimee dropped a kiss on Justine’s temple. “You’re okay with this?”
“Okay with just being outed in front of my mother? Yeah, sure, why not?”
“Good.” Aimee lowered her head and gave Justine the kind of kiss that promised more.
“Oh, wow,” Justine whispered when they parted. “Do we really have to go back out there?”
“Not if you don’t want to.”
Justine shook her head. “I really don’t.”
“Neither do I.” Kissing Justine again, and making sure Justine’s temporary bedroom was private and secure, Aimee showed Justine exactly why she didn’t need to be jealous. Nothing had enraptured her more than the woman arching and moaning in her arms, and Aimee doubted anything ever could.
***
Sitting on the side verandah lost in thought, Joey sighed. What a mess. Brittany left with a bang, even taking the time to slap Joey across the face for leading her on. Joey scoffed and sipped at his beer. Leading her on? Seriously? It was a reality TV show! Surely she understood the premise behind it?
Shaking his head, he sighed and looked up at the stars. “Don’t suppose you have any advice,” he said softly, hoping his parents could answer.
“No. I don’t.”
“Aimee!” Joey sat up straight. “Where’d you come from?” he said.
“The office. Talking to them again?” she said, joining him on the swinging chair.
“Talking to who?”
“Come on, Joey, we used to do it all the time as kids.” Aimee stared up at the stars and smiled softly. “I do it all the time.”
Joey gave her a sad smile and squeezed her leg. “How you sleeping?”
“Fine,” Aimee said, bouncing her head.
“No nightmares?”
She shook her head. “Not this year.” Her eyes glazed over and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Joey blinked. His sister almost looked happy. Eternally closed-off and sparse with her affection, he realised how different she had been in the past few days. Numerous times he had seen her guiding Justine around by the hand. Sally had received a couple of hugs and her smile had been easier to come by. Joey had been the only one that had earned her scorn. How did I miss this?
“You look happy,” he said, echoing his thoughts.
Aimee shrugged. “I guess.” With a deep breath, she turned to him. “I’m going to Armidale.”
Joey’s blood chilled. Aimee volunteering to leave the station for a good month or more was unheard of. “What?
No, you don’t have to—”
“I’ve made up my mind. I leave next week. I’ve already contacted the uni and asked Maggie to open up the apartment.”
“But—”
“It’s okay, Joe.” She reached out and took his forearm. “I want to go. You’re right, I need to get away for a while. Open up my horizons and all that.”
“Oh, Aims, are you sure?”
She nodded to him. “Very. Besides, I’ve only got a semester left to complete my master’s degree. I’ll be back by Christmas.”
Joey really hoped that was true because Sally would never forgive him if Aimee didn’t come back. “Does Sal know?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. I’m telling her tomorrow.”
Joey nodded and leant back into the seat, looking up at the stars for guidance again. Silently they sat side-by-side and watched the moon rise from its hideout in the eastern sky.
“Tracey is getting married,” Joey said after a sip of beer.
“What? Really? When?”
Exhaling roughly, he said, “December. I got the invite a couple of days ago.”
Aimee squeezed his forearm.
He shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“Yeah, but…”
Rubbing a hand through his hair, he said, “I had my chance. I blew it. Shit happens.”
Aimee squeezed again. “Maybe one of those girls will be the one?”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“You never know,” Joey said as they caught their breath.
“I like Amber if that helps.”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Do you like her breasts or her mind?”
Aimee smirked. “Both.” Leaning over, she whispered. “But don’t tell Justine that.”
“Justine?”
Aimee looked away shyly and nodded. “We’ve, umm…kind of being seeing each other.”
“What? You and Justine?”
“Yeah.”
“Seeing each other? As in…” he raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah.”
Joey studied his sister for a heartbeat. “She’s a single mum.”
“I know.”
“Who lives in Sydney.”
“I know.”
“Who is leaving next week and not coming back.”
“Yes, I know, Joe.”
“Sorry, but, I’m trying to figure this out.” Joey sighed and shook his head. He knew his sister specialised in one-night stands, and finding out she’d been sleeping with a woman with a child was unsettling. People like that look for more than a night to scratch their itch. “She’s a mum, Aims. You can’t just do your old trick of wham bam thank you ma’am, and send her off satisfied.”
“Don’t you think I realise that?”
Joey shook his head. “Since when do you know how to do relationships?”
She glared at him. “You are in no position to dish out advice.”
“At least I’ve been in a relationship, and that was without the complications of children and distance. How the hell do you expect to maintain one with Justine? It’s unfair to her and to Aaron.”
“So what would you have me do? Break it off with her because it all seems too hard?”
Joey stared at his sister for a moment and quietly said, “Yes.”
Aimee stood angrily. “Well, news flash, Joseph. I’m not you. I don’t run when things get difficult. I’m not leaving Justine, what we have is…is…Christ, I have no idea, but it’s something. It’s bloody terrifying, but it’s worth it. Just because you made a miserable choice, doesn’t mean you have the right to tell others how to follow their hearts. Stick with bimbos. It’s all you deserve.” Aimee stormed off into the yard leaving Joey’s mouth gaping and more than a little pissed off.
“Bugger you!” he screamed at her retreating back and threw his beer can after her. The empty can rattled about uselessly in the dirt. “Shit,” he muttered as he stood and made for his room.
“Woah!” came a female voice as he rounded the corner and slammed into someone. It was Amber.
“Hell, sorry.” He bent down and picked up the books and paper he had inadvertently knocked from her hands. He studied the title of one book. Anatomy. “Studying?” he asked, handing back the text.
“Yeah, I have exams in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh.”
“You okay?” Amber asked him. “I heard shouting.”
He wiped at his face. “Nah. It’s all good.”
“Was it Aimee?” Frowning at him, Amber said, “I recognised the voice.”
“Yeah. Aimee, she’s…making a big mistake…I think.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
Joey narrowed his eyes with thought. “No. Want to join me for a drink and a swim?”
Amber smiled. “Sure.”
***
Waking with a groan the next morning, Joey tried to roll but found his progress hindered by a warm body. “Shit,” he whispered to himself when he found Amber stark naked against his equally disrobed body. Sliding his arm out from under Amber, he climbed out of bed and stared at the company on his sheets. Amber was attractive, there was no doubt about that. His eyes roamed her features. Very attractive and also very naked. Pulling the sheet over her, he sat in his chair and tried to clear his head. What happened last night?
Aimee. Fighting. Amber. Drinking lots of scotch and swimming. Sex in the pool. Really good sex. Sex in the bed. Sex that he’d gladly repeat again. Joey smiled at Amber’s sleeping form. Even intoxicated, the woman had managed to make him feel the stir of something. That hadn’t happened in a long time, and if he was honest with himself, that feeling had faded long before he broke up with Tracey. He’d been searching for it ever since.
In retrospect, he never assumed Romancing the Farmer would help him find a wife, or even a girlfriend, but with Amber lying in his bed looking as though she belonged there gave him a lot to think about. Could he love her? Could she deal with living on the station? Could they make a life together?
Amber rolled over and exposed her bare chest, encouraging his libido to awaken. Wondering whether Amber would be interested in continuing the morning where the night left off, a realisation struck him. They had shared really good unprotected sex.
Joey cringed. You stupid bloody idiot!
***
“And that’s a wrap. Thank you, everyone.” Justine shook Joey’s hand and Amber pulled her in for a hug. Conversing with her film crew for a moment, a smiling Justine walked over to Aimee, who was resting her body against the side of Kite’s stall.
“Is it just me, or do they look really awkward?” Aimee asked her as she approached.
“They do, don’t they.”
Staring at the new ‘couple’ they both cocked their heads. Since the night of their argument, Aimee had been avoiding her brother but had still managed to notice something was off with him. Amber, who she had seen more than once, had been just as unsettled.
“Are you ready to go?” Aimee asked leaning slightly into Justine as the film crew loaded their vehicle and hitched the trailer to it.
“Yeah.”
“Come up for a sec?”
Justine nodded and together they climbed the stairs to the loft.
“Here,” Justine said as soon as the door was closed, handing Aimee a piece of paper. “My mobile number. Call me?”
“I, uh, don’t have a phone.”
Justine blinked for a moment. “You don’t have a mobile?”
Shaking her head, Aimee said, “They don’t work out here.”
“Oh. Right. Of course.”
“But I’ll get one,” Aimee said, pulling Justine to her by the hands before wrapping her arms around her waist.
Justine smiled, and for a long time, Aimee let herself get lost in those light brown eyes. This was hands down, the hardest thing she’d ever done. Letting this Justine walk away not knowing when she was going to see her again. Maybe Joey was right. Maybe it was easier to rip the Band
-Aid off and call it a day. Her heart clenched at the thought. No, whatever this was with Justine, it was something that could never be walked away from. She squeezed tighter.
“Hey,” Justine whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”
Ever the mind reader, Aimee thought wryly to herself. Since Aaron had left last Sunday, the pair had spent every spare minute together. Falling asleep in one another’s arms, making love to all hours, and just sharing quiet moments, all of it adding up to an inescapable truth in Aimee’s heart. She was head over heels for this petite city girl.
“Shh,” Justine said, wiping at the moisture gathering on Aimee’s lashes. “Farm girls don’t cry.”
“It’s dust. I have allergies.” Aimee scrubbed at her eyes quickly.
“Mmhmm.”
Aimee rested her head against Justine’s forehead. “I…this…” she breathed out heavily.
“I know.” Justine caressed her neck sending shudders down her spine.
Aimee tilted her head and took Justine’s lips in a slow, burning kiss. She didn’t know how to voice what was going on inside her, but she could sure as hell show the woman before she drove off in a cloud of dust.
Chapter Thirteen
Armidale. Situated in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, it was five and a half hours northeast of the station. It was also grey, cold, and desperately lonely. Aimee opened the door to the cottage that had been in her family for a century. Utilised as a townhouse for various family members attending the University of New England in Armidale, it had been vacant for years. Despite Maggie, an old family friend, and her efforts at bringing fresh air to the place, it still smelled musty and disused. Quickly building a fire to offset the chill and setting it alight, Aimee stared unfocused into the flames until they required stoking again.
She’d always been independent, enjoyed her own company, and prided herself on being tough. Learning how to cope as a young grieving child had taken years of counselling and learning how to get through each day. She had discovered at a young age that spending every spare minute being busy made life that much easier to live with. Time helped. Time and a love for the land she grew up on. A property she would spend days exploring on her own with no one but her dog for company.